Almost 150,000 penguins have died when a massive iceberg known as B098B off the waters of Antarctica slammed into Commonwealth Bay.The unfortunate penguins perished when this colossal ice mountain crashed into the most southern part of the continent that caused the birds to be trapped inside, some 40 miles away from their main source of food, as they all starved to their deaths.

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The iceberg is estimated to be the size of Rhode Island as it floated around the Antarctic region for around 20 years. Last 2010, the iceberg hit the main continent that struck another glacier, forming along the coast. When the coast was blocked by the glacier, this blockage caused the flightless birds to go through a dangerous journey for 40 miles in order to hunt for food as the birds travel for a grueling five miles just to eat.

Now, biologists from the University of New South Wales in Australia revealed in a new study how the Cape Denison penguin colony have already abandoned their eggs along their routes where the Adelie penguins had no choice but to leave their offspring, as researchers discovered the frozen remains of their chicks.

Researchers revealed that during a survey in 2013, the Cape Denison colony was unusually silent as they are normally noisy, and even the aggressive penguins were quiet as incubating birds did not even bother to acknowledge human intrusion into their habitat.

Biologists suggest that the once 150,000 population of Adelie penguins have dwindled down to just 10,000 penguins that are struggling to survive today. Some 100 years ago, the penguin population were estimated to reach 100,000. Researchers now say that in a span of 20 years, these creatures might disappear from the face of the planet, due to human hunting, encroachment of their habitats and the changing environment.

On the other hand, another penguin population about five miles away from Commonwealth Bay has been thriving for years ever since the iceberg made landfall to the southernmost region of the continent. Biologists are now examining this event to study how these can be linked to penguin populations.

Across the Antarctic region, Adelie penguins can be commonly found where they are not found anywhere else in the world. This new study is published in the journal Antarctic Science.